Monica Valentinelli

Find Books and Games by Monica Valentinelli on Amazon.com

Not Quite Cave Troll, Not Quite Tower Queen

Hello friends, First, a BRIEF “Where in the world is Monica right now?” update. I’m still in Florida; we’ve been in voluntary quarantine since March 15th at the magic house. I rescheduled my flight to ensure I wasn’t sick or presenting symptoms before leaving, so with any luck I’ll be back home (in another quarantine) next week.
I am playing Mario Kart—FRIEND ME I’M BUMBLEBUTT 2174 50101 1639–and Animal Crossing on my iPad as Lacey Ace. We’ve been watching Locke and Key, but not much else. I have seen Detective Pikachu five or six times now? I’m not sure which Pokémon I’d bond with—just not Lickitung. Listening to Lizzo, the new Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey soundtrack—which is AMAZING—and all the Disney musical feel-good songs my goth brain can handle. (Before devolving into a puddle of glittery lavender slime, of course.)
Slowed down a bit work-wise the past few days. I did start prepping for my Intro to Game Writing Class, re-read my pile of scribbled notebooks, and began taking inventory of my creative projects/concepts. My narrative process has definitely changed. I started putting each project (tarot deck, games, novels, novellas, short stories thus far) on notecards after Alethea (Kontis) recommended that to me. Just in the notebooks I brought with me? It’s... It’s a lot. This process has also given me peace of mind, though, because while I am an idea generator I already have a large backlog of concepts to write and create. It doesn’t feel like I’m starting from scratch—which is a good thing.
In other news, I am mulling over what I want to blog about. I’m not into quick, helpful tips or forecasting right now. Just haven’t settled on what. I suppose I’ll start breaking out the Pinterest recipes I’ve favorited but never tried soon enough.
How are you doing? Send pet pictures. It’s very strange not having pets, though the birds do visit us often enough.
Be well, - Monica
Website: www.booksofm.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/booksofm
Ko-Fi (Donate Coffee): https://ko-fi.com/A527F5H


In the 03/27/2020 edition:
*|MC:TOC|*

Excerpts:

[Notification] COVID-19, Hiring Me, Outreach, and Cancelled Appearances

Hello everyone! I wanted to reach out and let you know I am cancelling all public appearances for the time being. I had planned to attend Mo*Con on May 1st and WisCon on May 31st which have both been cancelled. I am taking this a step further and cancelling all in person appearances through June […]
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[Notification] COVID-19, Hiring Me, Outreach, and Cancelled Appearances

By Monica Valentinelli on Mar 20, 2020 02:54 pm

Hello everyone!

I wanted to reach out and let you know I am cancelling all public appearances for the time being. I had planned to attend Mo*Con on May 1st and WisCon on May 31st which have both been cancelled. I am taking this a step further and cancelling all in person appearances through June 30th. I plan to reassess all of my public appearances (attending a convention, visiting schools/libraries, or being featured as a guest) in the July/August 2020 timeframe.

At present, I am planning to appear as a guest of GameHole Con in November 2020. As of March 20, 2020, no plans are confirmed for next year.

I am fully aware COVID-19 is deadly disease that impacts all of us and am monitoring the situation. Already, COVID-19 having a dramatic impact on the creative industries I traffic in—and I know these changes are not exclusive to any one business or industry. The longer the pandemic continues, the harder it will be to resume normality and make up lost revenue.

If You are a Creator

If you are a creator, first of all—welcome! I am happy to host guest posts here on my blog should you need a space to promote your works. I will post a list of guidelines sometime next week and send out another update.

Additionally, I am also an editor for genre magazine FlamesRising.com and we can host guest blogs to help as well. Visit that site for details.

You can also connect with me at @booksofm on Twitter. That will be my primary method of social media communication for a while. I will be posting pictures @booksofm on Instagram as well.

If you already have a website or a recent project you wish to promote, feel free to add links in the comments.

If You Want to Hire Me

Yes, I am seeking new paid opportunities. I would love to teach more online classes, write short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and/or dive into pop culture pieces to offset my lost revenue. I am currently teaching an Intro to Game Writing class via The Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers. With the cancellation of SXSW, my future as a middle grade author is also unclear for the foreseeable future; if you enjoy magic and wonder, I’m more than happy to write for this audience.

With respect to additional class topics: I have over 15 years experience as a game writer, which is what I am currently known for. I have also worked as a marketing consultant and have a ton of experience framing messaging during an unforeseen crisis. Additionally, I am an experienced beadweaver and jewelry designer.

Should you poke around my site and find something you think I would be great for, I am happy to discuss other ideas than the ones listed. We can negotiate rates or, for media/tie-in and long form works, I can put you in touch with my agent, Jennie Goloboy at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Unfortunately, I cannot accept any free-to-low rate opportunities at this time. My plate for work on spec is very full.

Thank you for your time and understanding. I know this is a difficult time for all of us. Words cannot express how devastated I am by this pandemic and its long-term effects.

Moderated comments are open. Should you wish to personally connect, please use the Contact Monica page.

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